Ministry of Justice

Reoffenders

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Answer of 26 October 2021 to Question 56399 on Reoffenders, what offences the 670 defendants were accused of; and whether the defendants were explicitly informed that conviction would involve having a disclosable criminal record.

James Cartlidge: Below we have provided data which breaks down the initial estimate of the 670 defendants who were dealt with at the magistrates’ courts under SJP where the offence was deemed ‘recordable on the PNC’. We are not able to say whether the defendants were explicitly informed that conviction would involve having a disclosable criminal record. 636 offences have been recorded as ‘other offences’ because the recorded proceedings type (SJP) is incompatible with the available penalties for that offence. These recording inconsistencies represent less than 1% of the total SJP caseload of around 490,000 defendants dealt with in the year to March 2021. OffenceDefendants dealt with  Being guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour10 Causing harassment, alarm or distress2 Driving after false declaration as to physical fitness; driving after failing to declare; driving after refusal or revocation15 Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle whilst unfit through drink or drugs (impairment) - drugs4 Other offences636 Grand Total667

Reoffenders: Alternatives to Prison

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many repeat offenders of each type in each (a) region and (b) local justice area have been given non-custodial sentences after committing more than three of the same type of offence.

James Cartlidge: This Government is committed to tackling the causes of reoffending to keep our communities safe. Measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill, currently before Parliament, take a targeted approach so that the most serious and dangerous offenders are kept in prison for longer, while tougher and more effective community sentences tackle the underlying causes of criminal behaviour and improve the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders in the community. Beyond the Bill, and as set out in the Beating Crime Plan and the Prisons Strategy White Paper, the Government is delivering a package of measures to tackle repeat offending. We have implemented the revised Integrated Offender Management Strategy; we are increasing drug treatment, the proportion of prison leavers into jobs and improving access to accommodation; and we are exploring innovative uses of electronic monitoring through the acquisitive crime GPS tagging project, the roll-out of the Alcohol Abstinence and Monitoring Requirement, and the introduction of Alcohol Monitoring on Licence. Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for our independent courts, taking into account all the circumstances of each case. Section 65 of the Sentencing Code provides that, when considering the seriousness of an offence, the court is required to treat each relevant previous conviction as an aggravating factor. This principle is also reflected in the Sentencing Council’s General guideline: overarching principles. The number of offenders who received a non-custodial sentence on their last sentencing occasion for an offence, in each year, after committing more than three offences of the same type, can be viewed in the attached response tables. The data has been separated for each offence type and by region for the years 2016-2020. This data is not available by local justice area. The attached tables are taken from offence data published on the Police National Computer. They do not include offences committed outside England and Wales. To note:‘non-custodial sentence’ has been interpreted to include all sentencing disposals other than immediate custody.the ‘Breach Offences’ tab captures offences committed during an ongoing court order.Table (xlsx, 48.4KB)

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Maternity Action

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason Maternity Action has been removed from his Department's Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination Advisory Board.

Paul Scully: The Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination Advisory Board’s purpose is to consider non-legislative improvements to reduce pregnancy and maternity discrimination in the workplace.  It is a collaboration between Government, employer and family representative groups and the membership needs the right balance between those different groups in order for the Board to do its job.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Equality

Gareth Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to implementing (a) the Workforce Race and Equality Standard, (b) the Workforce Disability and Equality Standard and (c) Workforce Equality and Inclusion since 2011.

Edward Argar: The information requested is not held centrally. NHS England and NHS Improvement and individual National Health Service trusts have allocated resources to support these initiatives and promote equality and diversity in the NHS. However, this funding is not separately identifiable within budgets.

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will respond to the letters dated 16 December 2021 and 15 February 2022 from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on behalf of his constituent,Mr Clive Oldridgeonacquired brain injuries.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 30 March 2022.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 2 February 2022 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire regarding dementia care and access to face to face GP appointments, reference ZA58786.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 5 April 2022.

Prescription Drugs: Opiates

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in each NHS England Clinical Commissioning Group have been prescribed opiate painkillers in each year since 2015.

Edward Argar: The attached tables show the number of unique patients prescribed an opiate painkiller in each clinical commissioning group in England in each calendar year from April 2015 to 2021. The NHS Business Services Authority does not hold patient level data prior to April 2015.Number of patients prescribed an opiate painkiller (xlsx, 53.0KB)

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 10 December 2021 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire regarding vaccination of NHS staff against covid-19, reference ZA58449.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 28 March 2022.

NHS: Stoke on Trent

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase NHS capacity in Stoke-on-Trent.

Edward Argar: The Department has provided the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust with £4.1 million from the Elective Recovery Targeted Investment Fund in 2021/22, for investment in the estate and digital initiatives to aid elective recovery through efficiency and reconfiguration. The Trust also received £7.5 million in 2020/21 for the Royal Stoke University Hospital to eradicate backlogs and £17.6 million to improve capacity and patient flow, including through the creation of a new 26 bed acute inpatient ward at Royal Stoke University Hospital.

Medical Treatments

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his policy that the NHS should refuse in-patient treatment for people who cite reasonable grounds for refusing a PCR test and are opposed to receipt of a covid-19 vaccination; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: There is no such policy. The National Health Service provides a comprehensive service, available to all, as set out in the NHS Constitution for England.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 120845, tabled by the hon Member for Lewisham, Deptford.

Edward Argar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question 120845.

Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people diagnosed with covid-19 using (a) regular or (b) non-invasive ventilation treatments.

Edward Argar: As of 30 March 2022, 15,314 patients with COVID-19 were in hospital using beds with regular or non-invasive ventilation treatments.

Coronavirus: Air Pollution

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2021 to Question 496 on Coronavirus: Disease Control, whether the UK Health and Safety Laboratory has made an assessment of the potential merits of using hyrodxyl free radical air purification technologies to help stop the primary cause of covid-19 virus transmission via aerosol and water droplets; which companies provided the technology that was used in the assessments of the potential merits of those technologies that has already been undertaken by (a) SAGE and (b) Public Health England; and what the process is for third parties to be able to present to Government the potential use of their technology and credentials to support the undertaking of such assessments.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health and Safety Laboratory conducted a small pilot study of a number of technologies used as ‘air purifiers’ as a preliminary indication of the potential for these systems to improve air quality. However, this pilot preceded the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore did not focus on airborne virus control. While the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies undertook a review of existing evidence on the application of UV disinfection, visible light, local air filtration and fumigation technologies to microbial control, it did not make an assessment of technologies supplied by companies. In our earlier answer to Question 496, we stated that Public Health England undertook an assessment of such technologies. However, this information was incorrect and we have amended the record by Written Ministerial Statement on 1 March 2022 HCWS648. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) accepts submissions from companies for technologies and associated credentials. Interested parties can contact UKHSA directly to provide further information on the potential use of such technologies.

Coronavirus: Screening

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) number and (b) proportion is of people who received PCR test results within (i) 24 hours, (ii) 48 hours, (iii) 72 hours and (iv) 96 hours or more.

Maggie Throup: This information is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the NHS of providing its hospital staff with twice weekly covid-19 tests.

Maggie Throup: Testing for National Health Service staff in England is delivered and funded by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The UKHSA estimates that the annual cost of twice weekly lateral flow device testing for hospital staff is approximately £320 million. This is a combination of all testing costs, including procuring test kits, distribution and resourcing.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many free lateral flow tests will eligible groups receive after 1 April 2022.

Maggie Throup: Patients eligible for COVID-19 treatments will be sent a pack of lateral flow device tests for use should they become symptomatic. Individuals who may be eligible for tests can order one further pack containing seven tests every three days from GOV.UK or 119. The results should be registered on GOV.UK.

Coronavirus: Ivermectin

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December to Question 88624 and the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 127264 on Coronavirus: Ivermectin2, what the decision making process was for the Ivermectin being (a) entered into the PRINCIPLE clinical trial and (b) made the subject of monitoring by the Therapeutics Taskforce; and for what reason it an application for licensing authorisation for the use of Ivermectin in the treatment of patients with covid-19 has to be made to the MHRA before it (i)conducts a safety, efficacy and quality review and (ii) consults the Commission on Human Medicines.

Maggie Throup: Ivermectin has been a controversial drug throughout the pandemic, with many clinicians prescribing globally with no clear evidence to demonstrate there is a benefit. Taking this into consideration and the need to generate evidence on ivermectin’s efficacy in the treatment for COVID-19, the PRINCIPLE trial investigators determined that its inclusion would provide further information. Many of the outcomes of clinical trials, such as RECOVERY, have shown that such treatments are ineffective, which informs our understanding. Should the ivermectin arm of the PRINCIPLE trial produce positive outcomes, an application may be submitted to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA must assess the company’s compliance with Human Medicines Regulation requirements, including pre-clinical and clinical trials, manufacturing and pharmacovigilance legislation requirements and the manufacture of a product to determine its safety, quality, or efficacy, including input from the Commission on Human Medicines. A marketing authorisation application for the license of a medicinal product must be submitted by a legal entity registered with Companies House, as holding a marketing authorisation includes legal responsibilities.

Coronavirus: Greater London

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have received the covid-19 vaccinations at walk-in and pop up clinics in London; and how many and what proportion of those people (i) did not have a NHS number and (ii) were not registered with a GP.

Maggie Throup: The information requested is not held centrally.

Coronavirus: Schools

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice the UK Health Security Agency has given (a) schools and (b) the Department for Education on measures to tackle outbreaks of covid-19 in schools; and if he will place a copy of that advice in the Library.

Maggie Throup: The Department for Education has provided guidance for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic on the principles of managing local outbreaks, including variants of concern, in education and childcare settings. This guidance is used locally by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) health protection teams and local authorities to work with individual settings. The UKHSA does not provide guidance directly to schools.The UKHSA was commissioned to provide public health advice to the Department for Education to inform development of its operational guidance. We are unable to provide a copy of this advice as it relates to the development of Government policy on managing outbreaks of COVID-19 in educational settings. However, this advice was informed by standardised outbreak control processes used by local health protection teams in response to outbreaks of other infectious diseases.

Randox Laboratories: Contracts

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the request from the Cabinet Office of 25 September 2020, contained on pages 38-39 of the Return to an Address of the Honourable the House of Commons relating to Government contracts awarded to Randox Laboratories Ltd, 17 November 2021, HC1072, that his Department initiate a competitive process in time for new contracts to be let from March 2021, whether a competitive tendering process for covid-19 procurement had been initiated by that date.

Maggie Throup: The Department awarded a call-off agreement to Randox Laboratories which commenced on 1 April 2021, procured under the National Microbiology Framework. The call-off agreement met the criteria for a direct award procedure due to the operational requirement for a provider to be based in Northern Ireland and meet the key performance indicators required.

Oral Tobacco: Health Hazards

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the findings of the 2006 study by McNeill and West in the British Medical Journal that South Asian chewed tobacco is a major cause of oral cancer, what assessment his Department has made of the safety of chewing tobacco; and whether his Department has plans to set product standards.

Maggie Throup: Although no official assessment of the safety of chewing tobacco has been made, traditional smokeless tobacco products are harmful to health by causing oral, oesophageal and pancreatic cancers. It remains the Government’s policy to help people to quit all forms of tobacco use through behavioural support from stop smoking services, nicotine replacement therapy or e-cigarettes.There are no plans to set a product standard on chewing tobacco. Product standards for tobacco are contained in the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Public Expenditure

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will detail the losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for her departmental group as defined by section A4.10.7 in HM Treasury's Managing Public Money for (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.

Penny Mordaunt: The losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for the departmental group for the years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 as already held on the record of losses for the public sector organisations within the departmental group, in accordance with Managing Public Money (Annex A4.10.7), or as otherwise held for the purposes of special payment disclosures, are set out below. These disclosures are consistent with the organisations’ obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018. The Department promotes UK exports and showcases business at international trade shows. A number of events due to take place during 2019-20 were cancelled due to COVID-19 and the Department was unable to recoup all amounts incurred towards them. The total number of cases of losses in each year. The total number of cases of losses in each year2018 -20192019-20202020-20212317825  The total cost of losses in each year. The total cost of losses in each year2018 -20192019-20202020-2021£466,443£920,363£650,195   The total number of special payments in each year. The total number of special payments in each year2018 -20192019-20202020-20212NoneNone  The total value of special payments in each year. The total value of special payments in each year2018 -20192019-20202020-2021£88,000NoneNone